Tag Archives: USA

Base Jumping in USA – extreme videos

American West – highlight of wingsuiting by Daniel Ristow

American West – highlight of wingsuiting by Daniel Ristow

Here’s a highlight of wingsuiting in the American West throughout 2019. Locations vary from Moab UT, Northern Cascades WA, and Eastern Sierra CA.

Moab is an increasingly popular destination for BASE jumpers and those rigging highlining, who are allowed to practice their sport in the area. About 16 miles (26 km) south of Moab is the “Hole N’ The Rock”, a 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) 14-room home carved into a rock wall which National Geographic has ranked as one of the top 10 roadside attractions in the United States. Moab’s population swells temporarily in the spring and summer months with the arrival of numerous people employed seasonally in the outdoor recreation and tourism industries.

American West - Moab

In recent years, Moab has experienced a surge of second-home owners. The relatively mild winters and enjoyable summers have attracted many people to build such homes throughout the area. In a situation mirroring that of other resort towns in the American West, controversy has arisen over these new residents and their houses, which in many cases remain unoccupied for most of the year. Many Moab citizens are concerned that the town is seeing changes similar to those experienced in Vail and Aspen in neighboring Colorado: skyrocketing property values, a rising cost of living, and corresponding effects on local low- and middle-income workers.

The North Cascades are a section of the Cascade Range of western North America. They span the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington and are officially named in the U.S. and Canada as the Cascade Mountains. The portion in Canada is known to Americans as the Canadian Cascades, a designation that also includes the mountains above the east bank of the Fraser Canyon as far north as the town of Lytton, at the confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers.

The North Cascades are often referred as the “American Alps” by hikers, climbers and mountaineers because of the sea of steep, jagged peaks that span across the range. This range’s rugged approaches and exceptional alpine terrain make it a premiere training ground for mountain climbers.

The Eastern Sierra is a region in California comprising the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, which includes Mono and Inyo Counties. The main thoroughfare is U.S. Route 395, which passes through Bridgeport, Lee Vining, Bishop, Big Pine, Independence, Lone Pine, and Olancha, with Bishop being the largest city in the area. It is sparsely populated but well known for its scenery; major points of interest include Mono Lake, Bodie, Mammoth Lakes, Manzanar, and parts of Yosemite National Park and Death Valley National Park.

Matt Blank – Base Jumping around the world

Matt Blank – Base Jumping around the world

Matt Blank travels the world base jumping and exploring what makes this human experience unique for everyone.

Matt Blank grew up in Southern California skateboarding by day and racing BMX by night. Most mornings he spent at the beach surfing or bodyboarding before school, always with an eye on the weather in case he needed to skip out early to hit the coast.

After high school he worked own way through the University of California Irvine as a rock climbing instructor and while he was finishing his degree in psychology and social behavior with a minor in film he worked technical rope and cave search and rescue for the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department.

Max Blank

After college his attentions shifted to snowboarding, skydiving and B.A.S.E jumping. He instructed freestyle and all mountain snowboarding for Vail Corp. and still instruct skydiving from time to time at Perris Valley Skydiving Center. In the more recent years he jumped from one extreme community to the next pursuing his ultimate goal of collaborating with other like minded extreme athletes to create projects that can only be characterized as “mind grenades” . But what is past is prologue and therefore he’s always ready for the next adventure.

Starring: Matt Blank, Chris Carnahan, Cam Tracey, Lawrence Jones, Maria Steinmayr, Brian Mosbaugh.

Places:
Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia,
Tonsai – Thailand,
Moab – Utah.

Bridge Day 2016

Bridge Day 2016

Bridge Day 2016

Bridge Day is an annual one-day festival in Fayetteville, Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. The event is coordinated by the New River Gorge Bridge Day Commission, and is sponsored by numerous companies of both local and international significance. The event, held on the third Saturday every October, commemorates the 1977 completion of the New River Gorge Bridge. On this day, all four lanes of the bridge are closed to automobiles and opened to pedestrians. Estimates have 100,000 people attending the overall event.
The first Bridge Day was held in 1980 and drew a crowd of roughly 40,000. It has been held every year since except for 2001. It was canceled that year due to the recent events of 9/11 and the possibility of terrorist attacks.

Base jumping on Bridge Day

Bridge Day is the only day of the year people are allowed to BASE jump off the bridge into the New River Gorge 267 meters below, one of the few exceptions to a general ban on BASE jumping within the U.S. National Park System. People are also allowed to rappel from the span on Bridge Day. About four hundred BASE jumpers participate in each year’s festival. In 2015 the BASE jumping community boycotted the event.

bridge day 2016

There have been three deaths during Bridge Day due to accidents involving BASE jumpers:
In 1983, Michael Glenn Williams from Birmingham, Alabama, drowned when his gear was caught in the current after he made a successful jump. The one rescue boat that was in the river at the time was busy with other jumpers, and could not make it to him. In later years, more than one rescue boat was always used, and parachutists were not allowed to jump until it was confirmed that one of the rescue boats was available.
In 1987, Steven Gyrsting of Paoli, Pennsylvania, jumped using gear that was not BASE-specific gear and was killed after he was unable to open his reserve chute in time when his main chute failed to deploy.
During the 2006 festival, Brian Lee Schubert died when he failed to deploy his parachute in time. In 1966, he had been one of the first to BASE jump from El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

Chris Douggs McDougall – What Does BASE Stand for?

Chris Douggs McDougall – What Does BASE Stand for?

Chris Douggs McDougall

What Does B.A.S.E Stand for? Check out the video to find out the answer!

Chris Douggs McDougall

Base jumping from buildings: Benidorm in Spain and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, antennas in Switzerland and USA, spans in Croatia and Twin Falls in USA and mountains – Riglos in Spain and Monte Brento in Italy.

Chris Douggs McDougall about himself:
“My life has been devoted to BASE jumping and skydiving for over 16 years now – 16 years that have brought me endless joy and adventure and taught me what living life to the fullest really means. BASE jumping proves that nothing is impossible if you chase your dreams with passion and determination.

My chosen adventure sports have taken me to all corners of the globe, exploring some of nature’s true wonders in the company of the world’s most unique, inspirational people. I created BASEdreams to share my experiences of these incredible sports, in the hope that they may inspire even just one person to break free from the constraints of society and achieve what their hearts most desire – whatever that may be.
While only a handful of us will experience BASE jumping, we’re all plunging through the freefall of life. And we have to make the most of it.”